Partnering with government and private organizations to promote health, well-being, and quality of life through research and effective public communications. INSIGHTS & APPLICATIONS December 01, 2004  ­  Issue 6 #letter.greeting#     This issue marks the end of our publication cycle for 2004.  I want to take this time to thank all our clients, friends and associates for helping us learn, grow and prosper, and for giving us the opportunities to help others to live better lives.     2004 has been a remarkable year of change and growth for HME. Once this year ends, there will be nothing you or we can do to change it; but ahead of us lies 2005 for us to march on into, with a sense of purpose and the certainty of knowing what is it about the work we do that get us excited, motivated, and passionate.     As we approach another year, our goals remain the same as when we began back in 1998—to promote a multidimensional approach to quality of life and wellness through culturally competent marketing and health promotion and education programs, focusing on empowering target audiences with the necessary life-skills to make informed, positive and healthy lifestyle choices.       For 2005 we are planning to update the design and format of Insights & Applications and would very much like your input.  Please let us know your thoughts and ideas about what changes would you like to see in our format and content that better fit your preferences.     And as always, your questions, suggestions, and critique are welcome.     Warmest regards,     Albert Halac

Enriching our language by borrowing from Spanish...
    Over the years, all over the world, English is giving more words to other languages than it is taking in, however, the English vocabulary today is as rich as it is,  partly because it incorporated many words from Latin and Spanish.
    Many adopted Spanish words such as tamale, taco, salsa, cilantro, guacamole, enchilada, oregano, and burrito, are usually used in their original Spanish forms. Others, such as tuna, which comes from the Spanish atún, are variations of the original. Tomato, for instance, is derived from the Spanish tomate, a corruption of the Nahuatl word tomatl. Chocolate comes from the Nahuatl word xocolatl. Potato comes from papa, meaning white potato in the Inca language, Quechua.
    The word puma originated in Quechua, while jaguar comes from yaguar, a word of the Guarani who live in what is now Paraguay .  Ranch, a common English word today, comes from the Mexican Spanish rancho, meaning ranch, settlement, or meat ration.
    The list below, by no means complete, shows some Spanish words that have assimilated themselves into the English vocabulary. Although most of them retain the Spanish spelling and pronunciation, they are all recognized as English words by at least one reference source.
    Other common Words with Spanish Origins:
    Adios: from adiós
    Adobe: originally Coptic tobe, "brick"
    Alligator: el lagarto, the lizard
    Booby: bobo, silly or selfish, from the Latin for stammering, balbus
    Bronco: meaning wild or rough
    Cafeteria: cafetería, a coffee shop
    Cargo: cargar, to load
    Cigar, Cigarette: cigarro
    Comrade: camarada, old Spanish for barracks company or roommate
    Guerrilla: a small raiding party or fighting force
    Hoosegow: from juzgado, a tribunal or courtroom, past participle of juzgar, to judge
    Mustang: mestengo or mesteno, a stray animal
    Patio: courtyard in Spanish
    Peccadillo: a form of pecado, to sin
    Renegade: renegado, deserter or outlaw
    Savvy: saber, to know
    Tornado: tornar, to turn, tronada, thunderstorm
    Vamoose: vamos, let's go

Perceptions and Attitudes

Bilingual communications may promote positive attitudes and greater appreciation toward Spanish and Spanish-speaking people.
     Typically, in every society, the dominant group promotes its pattern of language use as required for social advancement, while use of a lower prestige language or dialect reduces the opportunities for success. The dilemma here for the non-dominant groups is whether it is more important to gain social mobility by adopting the language patterns of the dominant group or to maintain the group identity by retaining the native language style.
     Some studies suggest that what is considered "high language" may be associated with status, high culture, and aspiration toward social mobility, while the "low language" variety may correspond to solidarity, comradeship, and intimacy. The user usually chooses the appropriate language variety for each specific situation.
    In another study on the effects of bilingual education, there was evidence that Mexican American Hispanic Children in bilingual programs had positive attitudes and greater appreciation toward Spanish and Spanish-speaking people, which was missing among Mexican American students in monolingual programs.

Source: "Hispanic Children's Recognition of Languages and Perceptions about Speakers of Spanish, English and Chinese. " Mary E. Stafford, Lalima B. Jenckes, and Sheryl L. Santos. Arizona State University.

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Best Practices

Averting Predictable Failures of Mass-media Campaigns
>> Audience naivety (don't understand) or defensiveness (resist).
    Conduct focus groups or interview prospective audiences to assess awareness.
    Involve prospective audiences in targeting and designing messages. 

>> Media which are uninteresting or inappropriate to audience or message.
   Invite experts in several media to help design a variety of approaches.

Sources: P. Kotler & E.L.Roberto. (1989). Social marketing: Strategies for changing public behavior. New York: The Free Press.  

Cultural Competence

Announcement
     The 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for Cross-Cultural Research
      The 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for Cross-Cultural Research will be conducted at the Hilton of Santa Fe , Santa Fe , NM February 23-27, 2005 .
      Advance registration with reduced rates through January 16, 2005. On-site registration will be available at the conference.
 For more information visit http://www.wcsu.edu/sccr/index.htm